Slaven v Prime Media Group Limited [2019] NSWDC 502

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Slaven v Prime Media Group Limited [2019] NSWDC 502 Hearing dates: 1 and 8 August 2019; submissions to 15 August 2019 Date of orders: 17 September 2019 Decision date: 17 September 2019 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Grant leave to the plaintiff to reopen his case and to tender a video containing the broadcasts of the first and second matters complained of. (2) Pursuant to r 28.4(2)(c) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), the consent orders of 5 April 2019 purporting to provide for a separate trial of identification issues be set aside. (3) A finding, on an interlocutory basis, that the plaintiff is reasonably identified as the subject of the first matter complained of in these proceedings, namely the defendant's broadcast dated 7 December 2017. (4) A finding, on an interlocutory basis, that the plaintiff is reasonably identified as the subject of the first matter complained of in these proceedings, namely the defendant's broadcast dated 8 December 2017. (5) Costs reserved with liberty to apply. (6) The parties to bring in Short Minutes of Order for a further timetable for these proceedings. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – plaintiff brings proceedings in the Supreme Court for two broadcasts in neither of which he is named – defendants seek to challenge identification evidence – consent orders made for the filing of evidence and transfer to the District Court - no orders for challenge to identification evidence refer to UCPR r 28.2 – plaintiff brings application after judgment reserved to set aside the separate trial pursuant to UCPR r 28.4(2)(c) – principles for the ordering of separate trials – form of orders for separate trials and Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Hibbert [2014] NSWCA 13 Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56-60 Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), s 7A Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 67 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 15.19, 28.2, 28.4, 36.15 and 36.16 Cases Cited: Ale v Pauling [2017] NSWSC 1744 Andrews v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd [1980] 2 NSWLR 225 Baltinos v Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd (1986) 6 NSWLR 85 Barbaro v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 30 Bourke v Warren (1826) 2 Car & P 307; 172 ER 138 Channel Seven Sydney Pty Ltd v Parras (2002) Aust Torts Reports 81-675 at 69,226 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Clune [2008] NSWSC 1125 Consolidated Trust Co Ltd v Browne (1948) 49 SR (NSW) 86 Duffy v Google Inc (2005) 125 SASC 437 El Chami v Mackie [2019] NSWSC 821 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Pedavoli (2015) 91 NSWLR 485 Frangie bht Frangie v Takchi [2014] NSWDC 58 Fullam v Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Ltd [1977] 1 WLR 651 Hayward v Thompson [1982] QB 47 Hulton & Co v Jones [1910] AC 20 Lazarus v Deutsche Lufthansa AG (1985) 1 NSWLR 188 Lee v Wilson and MacKinnon (1934) 51 CLR 276 McCormick v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1989) 16 NSWLR 485 Mirror Newspapers Ltd v Fitzpatrick [1984] 1 NSWLR 643 Moore v Australian Broadcasting Commission (1985) A Def R 50010 Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 1 WLR 1239 Mosley and another v Focus Magazin Verlag GmbH [2001] EWCA Civ 1030 Mundine v Brown (No 5) [2005] NSWSC 517 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Hibbert [2014] NSWCA 13 Nationwide News Pty Ltd v The University of Newlands [2005] NZCA 317 Nu-Tec v ABC [2010] NSWSC 711 O'Shea v MGN Ltd [2001] All ER 65 Plymouth Brethren (Exclusive Brethren) Christian Church v The Age Company Ltd; Plymouth Brethren (Exclusive Brethren) Christian Church v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2018] NSWCA 95 Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Limited v Parker (1992) 29 NSWLR 448 Raul Amon International Pty Ltd v Telstra Corporation Ltd [1998] 4 VR 798 Rogers v 2UE Sydney Pty Limited (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Levine J, 6 November 1998) Singleton v Ffrench (1986) 5 NSWLR 425 Solarus Projects v Vero Insurance (No 5) [2013] NSWSC 1966 Steele v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1974] 2 NSWLR 348 Tallglen Pty Ltd v Pay TV Holdings Pty Ltd [1996] 22 ACSR 130 Triguboff v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2018] FCA 845 Tyrrell v The Owners Corporation Strata Scheme 40022 [2007] NSWCA 8 Williams v Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Levine J, 3 December 1993) Wollongong City Council v Papadopoulos [2019] NSWCA 178 World Hosts Pty Ltd v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1976] 1 NSWLR 712 Younan v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2013] NSWCA 335 Zoef v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 283 Texts Cited: J D Heydon, Cross on Evidence, 2010, 10th ed. (LexisNexis) D Rolph, Defamation Law (Sydney, Thomson Reuters, 2016) P Taylor SC, Justice G Bellew, M Meek SC, Dr E Elms OAM, Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure New South Wales (LexisNexis Australia) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Plaintiff: Darrell Slaven Defendant: Prime Media Group Limited Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr A J Munro Defendant: Ms S T Chrysanthou